Night At The Museum
by francis2
Summary: Mick has to solve a weird case. Just a piece of fluff written for a challenge.


Mick had just climbed out of his freezer in the afternoon and was heading for a shower when Beth called from downstairs. He grabbed a bathrobe and took the stairs.

„What's up, Beth?" he asked, concern in his voice.

„Guillermo's at the phone, and it sounds important." she answered, handing him his cell with a quick kiss.

„St. John."

Guillermo was all business. „Sorry for calling so early. A body came in at noon and I'm afraid it's family business. Police is all over me about this one, and I need you to have a look at the body."

„I'm on my way."

He was dressed and in his car within five minutes. Breakfast would have to wait. Mick sneaked into the morgue and found Guillermo with a body that he was transfusing blood into.

„What you doing, G, that's bad for business."

„Coroner already stated there was an unusual amount of blood loss. I'm trying to make it look like he misjudged. Look at that."

Mick sniffed the body, then watched closely as Guillermo pointed out the fang marks at the neck and shoulder. „I'll have to disguise those a bit, opening them up more so it looks like stab wounds." Mick nodded. „Better do that. Is that the cause of death?"

„Not necessarily. He's been clubbed with something, caused some heavy brain trauma and at least rendered him unconscious. He would have died from that alone. I'm not sure which came first."

„Did the vampire club him to immobilize him before the bite, or did he club him later to disguise he died from a bite."

„Exactly. The latter would be rather dumb, you know."

„Yeah. Are we looking for a newbie? The vamp I smell is a bit older, maybe around 50."

„Right."

„Where was he found?"

„At the Getty Museum. He was one of their night watchmen."

„Doesn't seem like a dangerous job to me."

„You haven't seen that film, have you?"

Mick answered with a wry grin. „Beth tends to watch children's comedies when in a bad mood. Do you have any breakfast for me?"

Guillermo handed him some comfort food, then Mick started for the Getty Museum.

The museum was still open for half an hour but police had cornered off the aisle where the man was found. Mick let himself into a storage room and closed the door from the inside. He would tough it out until the museum closed.

Two hours later the last cleaner had left the building. Mick went back to the crime scene and took a deep sniff. A vampire feeding from a man lying on the floor. Then Mick saw something else. A man in a white suit and with a cap. He held something in his hand and let it fall down on the poor watchman. Then he ran off.

So the man was murdered twice.

Mick followed the scent of vampire through the labyrinth of halls. He came to the Egyptian section. With a grim smile he opened the lid of a wooden sarcophage. The vampire within was looking like a teenager, but smelling much older. He was wrapped in a white cotton robe and his skin was dark. He startled awake and jumped up.

Mick grabbed him and held him still. „Easy, mate. I only need some answers. You drained the watchman yesterday night. Why?"

„He was already dying, and I was hungry. I've been shipped here from Egypt and they sealed the sarcophage on the way. It wasn't my fault, I just didn't realize they took my sleeping place."

„Why didn't you call the Cleaner?"

„What's a cleaner? I didn't know what to do, and then another watchmen came. I had to get away."

Mick shook him for good measure and growled. „You endangered the local community by leaving the body in the open. What do you mean, he was dying?"

„Another man had been sneaking around and was stealing the jewellery and artwork. When the watchman saw him, he clubbed him with a watering can."

„A watering can?"

„Yeah. From the spring exhibition in the next room. It's a heavy piece."

„Okay. What then?"

„He ran off. And I was so hungry, and the man was bleeding, so I took what was offered. Don't hurt me."

„I'll let the Cleaner decide. You can't stay here anyway." Mick called the number and announced he had someone to arrest. After he delivered the lad to the Cleaner he drove home.

Next morning he observed the entrance area of the museum. Nothing happened. Nothing special. But he just knew that sometimes the murderer came back to the place, unfinished business or maybe pride.

He noticed the ice cream man and realized something was off. The man was nervous, and glancing at the entrance area far more often than the possibility of customers would warrant. Mick inched closer and took a sniff. Yeah. No visible blood, but the scent was right.

He drove home and called Carl Davis. „The murder at the museum. It was the ice cream man. With a watering can."

„St. John, that's impossible. You're kidding, right?"

„No, I'm not. Look for the garden exhibition, the can was the murder weapon. And the ice cream man in front of the gates steals exhibits at night. Look for blood on his other uniform."

Hours later Ltn. Carl called back. „I don't know how you did this, but he confessed. We don't know why he stabbed him, as beating him down would have been enough, but he's the man. Thank you for your help. How did you do this?"

He smiled. „I play a lot of Cluedo."


End file.
